Serendipity & the Serpent

The Altered Timeline

Mom didn't tell you to go to the record shop that afternoon, you just found yourself wandering there on your own.

You knew how painful it would become the closer you got, but you didn't care. You promised Dad that you would give this place a chance for him.

Mom rambled off the directions to you a million times, it was only a few streets and turns away. It wasn't completely impossible to navigate through this town you had never experienced before. You saw a few landmarks you skated past earlier and used them to guide you to your destination.

Everything was going great until you passed the same statue three times.

"Need a lift, princess?"

You examined your surroundings, making sure the message wasn't intended for your ears. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at the 'princess' comment. If the statement was directed toward you, it wasn't going to end well for the man on the other end of it.

When you didn't find the voice's owner, you turned back to the statue and kept walking.

"Just a heads up," the voice came again, "if you've walked in that direction three different times already, chances are the outcome is going to be the exact same the fourth time around."

So the voice was intended for you to hear, great.

You pivoted on your heel to find a blonde haired boy in the front seat of a red convertible, similar to your mom's. He wore a leather jacket to match. That's a bit overboard, don't you think?

You laughed as you took a tiny step away from the car. "I'm new here so I'm just trying to memorize where things are, that's all."

The boy laughed, clearly not buying it. "Where are you headed? Do you need a ride?"

"No thanks." You took another, slightly larger, step back. "I appreciate the offer but I'm good."

Instead of turning back toward the statue, you began walking in the other direction. He was right, if you kept making the same mistakes as before, you were just going to end up humiliating yourself by the statue again. You heard him chuckle as you walked away, clearly lost, and taking his advice to try the next street.

Reaching the next cross walk, you glanced around. When you caught sight of the blonde boy's convertible again, you noticed a few other boys getting in with him. You were quite far from them now, but you could make out the building they were filing out of.

Cobra Kai.

It was the karate dojo you had passed yesterday. That meant there was a bank, a bakery, a market, and a restaurant nearby too. You scanned the areas looking for them, mentally checking them off.

Well if the dojo is there... and the bakery is that way... then our apartment is down that street... which means I need to go the opposite direction more toward the beach...

You chuckled to yourself. That blonde boy ended up helping you with directions in the end after all.
•••
You stood in front of the record shop in awe.

Your heart was pounding, drowning out the sound of the waves. It was a dainty little thing that sat up on a hill overlooking the beach below. It had a dark wood exterior with muted red, yellow, and blue lettering above the awning. The sign stretched all the way across the small building:

Georgie's Record Shop

Other than a silver DeLorean parked out front, the tiny lot was empty. You took a deep breath as you walked inside.

The interior was just as dark as the exterior, but in a cozy way. Dark wood panels lined the wall, the floor was an outdated cream carpet with multicolored rugs thrown in random places. Tables upon tables filled the the store to the brim. Wooden crates held thousands of records on every inch of them. There were even crates on the floor.